Marvin Lewis admits John Ross 'was not part of the plan' vs. Colts

Cincinnati Bengals fans were excited to see 2017 first-round pick John Ross active for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, but their joy quickly turned to disappointment, as the rookie speedster wasn’t involved in the team’s game plan all afternoon.

After the game, coach Marvin Lewis admitted the team had no intention of getting the top-10 pick involved, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell:

Marvin Lewis said John Ross got to dress because Cody Core was out, but “he was not part of the plan going into the game.”

After missing five games with a knee injury, Ross was expected to get plenty of action in his long-awaited return. Instead, the former Washington Husky was targeted just once all game.

For a team desperate for explosive plays (tied for fourth-worst in the NFL with just 15 pass plays of 20 yards or more), not finding a way to involve Ross has to be frustrating for the fan base. Not having him in the plans at all is downright wasteful.